Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta episode 7: First Student Lost

I had been waiting for this episode for ages. It was clear from the beginning of this show that at least one person would die before we’d reach the end. The story is one of adventure into a great beyond, where no one has ever set foot before, and there is a path to such great adventure and that is the life of brave men and women. After last episode it was clear that Mitsuo and Chiharu would get in serious trouble this episode. The foreshadowing was so intense that they nearly drew a target mark on their forehead and have them wrote their will before they left. I was actually thinking that Chiharu would lose her life along Mitsuo this episode, I cannot say that I was disappointed in the drama that occurred because of Mitsuo’s death so far, but I was hoping for a bit more in term of loss. Having said that, this seems to be only but the beginning of the attack on Isla and I wouldn’t be surprised if the casualty count increased dramatically until everything is over, I wouldn’t be surprised either if Claire rediscovered her power over the wind to save Karl at some point.

I really like the way the death of a student was handle in this episode. It was a little too dramatic and overly in your face than what I like, but it still manages to bring in the proper emotions and a right feeling to the show. Even though we barely knew the guy, they were able to make us care enough that we would actually want them to survive somehow and defy the odds. There is this content sense of satisfaction in those kind of show where someone do something foolish and actually lose its life over it. Don’t get me wrong, Mitsuo was really noble and had the greatest of intentions, but it would have been rather annoying if the both of them survived after doing something so daring while still being inexperienced. Too often are wars taken too lightly in shows, it seems that there are thousands of people without names and families who dies every time, but no one who has any real personality ever seem to lose their life.

Other than the obviously dramatic element of this episode, there are still two other main elements that were featured that interested me. First off, we had a confirmation of previous assumptions that the head of the Aerial Knight, Leopold Melze is rather incompetent and dim. He was outwitted in the current battle and it can make a dent in his reputation and the moral of the troops in future endeavours. The second element that I found of interest is that we finally understood who the hell was Ignacio and what his purpose was from the beginning. I never thought that the guy would be working hand in hand with Claire as a personal body guard, but more importantly, it is rather surprising that someone as young as Ignacio somehow manages to be considered a strong enough character to protect the figure head of Isla. I really do wonder what Ignacio’s past his and what he can do exactly as a bodyguard for someone as important as she is. I’m eager to find out.